Stay with Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 4)

Finish the Job

Not too long after the break of dawn, the sound of a hundred marching footsteps echoed across the bridge. Hermione looked to Ellie shared a puzzled look as they immediately rushed out of the Great Hall. Together, they linked their hands as they made their way to the courtyard.

The lovers and Ron followed after Neville, Ginny, and Arthur, who preceded McGonagall. Voldemort stood in front while a weeping Hagrid held a limp body. A piercing scream of anger and denial came from McGonagall, and it was nothing anyone would have ever imagined. A mocking laughter came from the other side, and Ellie recognized it to belong to Bellatrix.

"Harry Potter... is dead!" Voldemort boomed triumphantly.

Ginny rushed forward with an earsplitting shriek, but Arthur held her back. Ron, Hermione, and Ellie all let out agonizing screams, louder and more painful than Ginny's or McGonagall's. The remaining survivors that had formed behind Harry's friends started to scream in protest as they berated the Death Eaters.

"Silence!"

Ellie whimpered as she attempted to suppress her wail, with Hermione and Ron joining in. Though she trembled with despair, Hermione squeezed Ellie's hand in attempt to comfort her.

"Stupid girl," Voldemort spat as he stepped forward. "Harry Potter is dead. From this day forth, you put your faith... in me."

"Harry Potter is dead!" he announced once more, turning to his Death Eaters.

They cackled and roared as they mocked his death, jeering at the battered students.

"And now is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us... or die," Voldemort sneered as he outstretched his arms.

Ellie's father stepped out from the crowd of Death Eaters, and Voldemort stepped aside. He looked awful as dark circles surrounded under his eyes. He appeared emotionally and physically beaten, with an almost desperate expression.

"Ellie," he called out, his voice echoing loudly.

The students whispered among themselves, looking at Ellie fearfully. It was the first time anyone other than those at the manor had seen Ellie's father, bewildered at the idea that his spawn was a Hufflepuff.

"Come. Be with your father," Steven continued.

Hermione looked to her girlfriend, squeezing her hand tightly as her eyes silently pleaded for her to stay.

Ellie recalled his request for his trust earlier that morning. Now conflicted, she stood perfectly still as her eyes flickered to the sickening grins of the other Death Eaters.

"Now... please," Steven pleaded, gulping as Voldemort stared him down.

Ellie's foot stepped forward, seeming to have a mind of its own, earning a gasp from her side. Hermione only gripped her girlfriend's hand tighter as she attempted to pull her backwards.

A lighter pair of footsteps approached Ellie's side while a heavier pair followed. Ellie turned her head to see who it was, and her face softened.

"Mom," Ellie greeted softly.

Amelia cupped her daughter's face lovingly as she turned to the man she once knew. She returned a scowl on her face as the two parents faced off.

"I will do whatever it takes to keep my daughter safe," Amelia told Steven coldly, remembering the words she had said to him almost eighteen years ago. "And her future doesn't include you."

There was a deafening silence as both sides listened intently, astonished at the events that were unfolding. Steven stayed quiet, unsure of how to respond.